


Undercover and Over the Top

by Cornerofmadness



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:06:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23068201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornerofmadness/pseuds/Cornerofmadness
Summary: Dani isn’t so sure about going undercover with Bright.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 48
Collections: Bite Sized Bits of Fic from 2020





	Undercover and Over the Top

**Author's Note:**

  * For [boomersoonerash](https://archiveofourown.org/users/boomersoonerash/gifts).



> **Disclaimer:** Not mine, Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver owns it 
> 
> **Notes:** written for withasmile87 in comment_fic for the prompt of Prodigal Son, any, I don't have a choice but I still chose you.

XXX

Dani wanted to squirm, feeling oddly conspicuous, but the reflexes honed from her time undercover kept her still as Malcolm haggled with the maître d’. This wasn’t where she wanted to be and she didn’t like feeling like maybe she owed him. This was the second dress he’d bought her on the fly and Dani felt somehow obligated to him. It itched at her, just under the skin where she couldn’t scratch but if they wanted to covertly eavesdrop on Ms. Helen Knox where she had a personal table in Astra, the hottest, most expensive new restaurant she could imagine, they had to blend.

Malcolm, of course, knew how to move in these circles. The best Dani could do was to keep relatively quiet – not all that hard really – and follow his lead even if he deemed her clothing a little sub par. She’d jokingly threatened to kick him one but she couldn’t argue it either. These people would spot her instantly as not belonging in her usual outfits. She’d wanted to tuck up the tags and take the dress back once their surveillance was done, whenever that was as Knox had been using Astra as her meeting place for months where she dealt in hard to find, ridiculously expensive and usually stolen antiques, several that now had bodies attached to them. Malcolm insisted the dress was repayment for the kindness she had shown him during his recuperation and it made her sad to think that he’d been so injured by the people around him that he thought friendship needed repayment. She just hoped this worked because even if they got in – which was looking unlikely – they would need to be near Knox to make it work. It was a slim hope but one Gil had been willing to send them out on.

“I’m sorry, sir, but you have no reservation. I couldn’t possibly seat you,” the maître d’ said, eyeing Malcolm as if he were both homeless and mentally ill in spite of the fine figure he cut. Dani hated to say it but Malcolm was made to wear suits.

“I’m sure you know Ms. Abigail Milton,” Malcolm said and Dani narrowed her eyes. What was he up to? Whatever it was the maître d’ looked shocked Malcolm knew the name.

“I don’t know how you know that name, sir, but I do not discuss our patrons.”

“I hate to do this but since I know she has a permanent table here as do many of our circle.” Malcolm threw his hands wide with a little smirk on his face. He dug out his phone and made a call while holding up a hand to the maître d’ who was trying to shoo him away. “Aunt Abby, it’s Malcolm….I’m fine. I was hoping you could do me a favor. Since you’re in for the night, I was hoping I could use your table at Astra to show my lovely date a great time and to have a wonderful meal. Would you be a dear and tell them it would be all right to use your table?....You want a picture of my date? Whatever for?”

Dani arched her eyebrows at him, listening to the increasing formality of his speech and deciding Aunt Abby must be old, probably had a portrait of her somewhere in the Milton household. She nodded at him. If it took a picture of her to seal the deal and get them inside, that was fine. She wondered if Aunt Abby would think of her.

“I’ll take a selfie when we’re done talking and send it to you.” Malcolm handed his phone over to the maître d’. It still took Aunt Abby talking to the manager before they were whisked away to the upper level of the restaurant.

Dani couldn’t escape feeling on display even though very few people glanced her way. If nothing else, she knew Malcolm appreciated the new dress and how good she looked in it. His eyes had nearly bulged out of his head like an old Bugs Bunny cartoon and that made Dani a bit uncomfortable too. She was still getting used to being friends. If anything else developed….she wasn’t ready for that. Her own wounds were barely scabbed over and Malcolm took special handling because there were just that many wounds still bleeding out. She couldn’t get the picture of his face while he held the landmine out of her mind, that look of I have something I have to tell you before I die. Worse, she had wanted him to confess, hadn’t wanted to leave him there alone. Dani had learned something important that day: never trust him when he said he had a plan until she heard all the details of the plan.

Aunt Abby’s table couldn’t be more perfect. It was next to Knox’s. They’d be able to listen in without issue. The menu looked like it cost as much as her weekly salary when their waiter set it in her hand. Dani barely kept her own surprise in check when she saw the price of the meal and noticed Malcolm didn’t bat an eye. To distract herself, Dani scoped out the lay of the land. Knox was alone and waiting on her companions so that meant they had to make some conversation until they arrived.

She flicked her gaze back down to the menu. “Bright, what is all this? Where do we start?”

“With the wine pairing,” he replied.

Dani winced: that was nearly doubling the price. “The department won’t spring for that,” she whispered.

“If we want to fit in,” he whispered back. “And don’t worry about it.” He glanced away with that as if embarrassed.

Dani suddenly realized he was. He never made a big deal about his wealth, evidencing it only in his suits. It was just one more way he didn’t fit in with the rest of them. She let it slide and said, “There’s a bone marrow appetizer.”

“Be adventurous if you want.”

“I was thinking of you and your touchy stomach.” True was she wasn’t about to eat bone marrow or the snail appetizer either. The salmon one might be acceptable.

“I think the duck mousse would be okay,” he replied, “And Aunt Abby said we must try the charcuterie and fromage combo platter.”

She scanned the entrees, feeling utterly out of her element but at the same time tantalized. “Did she have any suggestions for entrees? It best not be that boudin noir.” She was not eating blood sausage and doubted Malcolm would either. “Or the rabbit, just saying.”

“I think you’d like the coq au vin or the steak au poivre. Boef bourguignon is usually a safe bet.”

Dani nodded, thinking steak because the coq au vin involved noodles and she wasn’t about to ruin this dress. 

“I’m actually looking forward to dessert. I can decide between Gâteau Basque or Petits Pots à l'Absinthe. Is it bad I’m skipping to dessert already?” He flashed a grin. 

It didn’t surprise her at all. “I’ve noticed your sweet tooth.”

“I blame Gil.” His grin grew as he gestured to the menu.

Once they ordered and the first wine arrive with his duck mousse and her tiny salmon things, Malcolm’s expression changed. He was probably getting bored because Knox was still alone. 

“I’m glad you agreed to come.” He sipped his wine, leaning closer as he added softly. “Even if it’s just a fake date for a job, I wasn’t sure you’d agree or that they’d be willing to send me instead of JT.”

“It’s your world,” she replied equally as soft. “And I don't have a choice.”

The wound those words left could be seen from space and she held up a hand. That hadn’t been what she meant to say. “But I still chose you because the brass did ask if I wanted to come with some more seasoned with undercover.” Dani smiled, reaching over to rest her hand on his. “I’m here because I wanted to be and I’m here with who I should be with.”

Malcolm’s chest heaved and he worked up a smile but she could see it was made of spun glass. “Thanks. And I did do some undercover with the FBI. I have to say this isn’t how I pictured sweeping you off for a date.”

She quirked up her eyebrows. “You’ve given this some thought.” Dani popped a piece of salmon in her mouth, shocked by that.

“I have. I had a lot of boring free time when I was in the hospital.”

“So, tell me how was our fantasy date.” She had to know.

“I think the best one was whisking you off to Vegas.”

She held up a finger. “Vegas? Really?”

“It’s like your type of place. Not the gambling but the fun, the glitz. I don’t know. I actually like it there.”

Dani grinned. “I’m struggling to picture that because it seems…unrefined for you but I’m listening. What do we do?”

“We obviously see a show or two. You threaten to beat me up because I splurge on the Gemini’s signature drink. We do some window shopping but you won’t let me buy you anything.”

“You’ve already bought me two dresses. That’s plenty,” she said, looking up the Gemini on her phone to help her picture how his mind worked. Dani nearly choked on her wine. “You buy me a ten thousand dollar bottle of mixed drinks? Damn right I’m kicking you right in the business.”

He chuckled. “You’d get an opal necklace out of it and I’d get the matching cuff links as they come with the bottle and the business would probably be sad to be put out of business, just saying.”

Dani wagged her head, pursing her lips. “Men. Always so hopeful.”

He shrugged. “We are what we are. It was a delightful date.”

“You know in a way I’m surprised it isn’t Edrisa you imagined taking out.”

“Oh, that too but it was a much different date involving Philadelphia and the Mutter Museum.” He spooned the last of the mousse up just as the waiter arrived with the charcuterie and fromage platter.

Dani looked that up too. “Yep, that would be the perfect date.”

“So, since you did choose me…”

“Are you going to ask me if I thought about going out with you?” She shot him a warning look and he glanced away picking up a piece of cheese. “I don’t spend a lot of time imaging things but we’re friends, right? I think if I had pictured it, we’d have been in London. That seems like a city for you.”

Malcolm nodded. “I do like it there. All that history. It’s absolutely fascinating.”

“Not quite what I had in mind but with you, I can see that being a draw but in the end, I probably shouldn’t think about that since it seems like maybe I’m more interested in your money. Though if you were going to toss ten grand away on me, I’d rather travel than get jewelry. I’ve never had much chance to travel,” she said, giving it some thought.

“Dani, of all the things I might think about you, that you’re after my money isn’t even on the list. Trust me, there have been some women who have tried to date me because of the family fortune. Mostly my love life has been filled with that sort or those in Mother’s social circle that she sets me up with.” His shoulders slumped.

Dani regretted they’d gone down this path. “If nothing else, your mother seems to like me.”

He nodded. “She is grateful you’re in my life but let’s not tell her about this. She’ll get the wrong idea.”

“But you owe Aunt Abby a picture.” Dani grinned.

“Oh, right.” Malcolm stood and took out his phone. He leaned in for a picture with her. “Guess I’ll have to tell Mother about this.”

“Send me the pic too. Tally wanted to see the dress.” Dani smiled. “I’m not sure I get her obsession with the fashions of the rich and famous but whatever.”

“Then if we haven’t managed to ruin the dress by the end of night, I should take a picture of you where Tally can actually see it,” he said and she wasn’t sure how she felt about him having a full length picture of her looking as sexy as she did in this dress. “ Hope the meal comes slowly because we might need it to.” He rolled his eyes toward Knox’s table where no one had arrived yet to join her.

“I’m more worried about how much wine comes with this.” Dani nodded to the second glass that had arrived with the meat and cheese.

“Just sip I guess.”

“Should you even….”

“Mix it with my meds? No but I’m pretty used to it at this point. You don’t grow up like I did without a bit of drinking and I’m not even talking about my father. There are so many soirees, charity balls…they bore me. Mother hates that but I’ve never been the social butterfly she and Ainsley are.”

Dani now had enough experience with his mother to know she loomed large in his life. He didn’t let her completely rule him but Dani knew complicated relationships when she saw them. Everything about this man was complicated. Before Dani could go down another road that might lead her somewhere scary, two people joined Knox’s table. Dani nodded with her chin. 

Malcolm glanced over his shoulder. “And now the fun begins.” 

Dani was glad work was back on. Fake or not, this date had nibbled around some very emotional edges. No matter what happened tonight, things would be subtly different but she would worry about that when it happened. Now her attention had to be on the job and if there was one thing she was good at, this was it.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Author’s Note** The signature drink mentioned here is fictional but based on a real 10 grand drink served by the club XS. The Mutter museum is real and I'm sure Edrisa and Malcolm would enjoy it


End file.
